Apparatus, system, and method for improved memory consumption in network devices via efficient route management

ABSTRACT

The disclosed computer-implemented method may include (1) receiving, at a network device, a route update for one or more routes that direct traffic within a network that supports BGP, (2) identifying, within the route update, a BGP prefix and a plurality of protocol next-hop addresses that (A) identify a plurality of neighbors of the network device and (B) each correspond to the BGP prefix, (3) maintaining a single copy of the BGP prefix and each of the protocol next-hop addresses, (4) receiving a packet destined for a computing device that is reachable via at least one of the neighbors of the network device, and then (5) forwarding the packet to the one of the neighbors of the network device in accordance with the BGP prefix and the protocol next-hop address that identifies the one of the neighbors. Various other methods, systems, and apparatuses are also disclosed.

BACKGROUND

MultiProtocol Label Switching (MPLS) networks often include multiplepaths that facilitate the flow of traffic from a source to adestination. In such MPLS networks, some network devices may have thesame Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) prefix but distinguish themselvesfrom one another by differing protocol next-hop addresses. These networkdevices and/or supporting BGP controllers or route reflectors mayadvertise the respective routes, which each include the same BGP prefixbut a different protocol next-hop address.

As a specific example, an MPLS network may include various edge routersand 12 Equal-Cost Multi-Path (ECMP) paths. In this example, these ECMPpaths may share the BGP prefix “100.1.1.1” but have 12 differentprotocol next-hop addresses ranging from “1.1.1.1” to “1.1.1.12”. In atraditional configuration, the edge routers may need to maintain 12copies of the same prefix—one for each route. However, since theInternet may include more than 500,000 routes, the edge routers maymaintain each of these 12 copies of the same prefix in connection withthe more 500,000 Internet routes, thereby leading to a significantmemory management burden for the edge routers.

Moreover, the edge routers may need to update and/or manage theirrouting tables on a fairly regular basis to account for topology changesand/or system faults (among other reasons). Unfortunately, this updateprocess may consume a significant amount of resources on the edgerouters and add to the existing memory management burden. The instantdisclosure, therefore, identifies and addresses a need for improvedapparatuses, systems, and methods for improved memory consumption innetwork devices via efficient route management.

SUMMARY

As will be described in greater detail below, the instant disclosuregenerally relates to apparatuses, systems, and methods for improvedmemory consumption in network devices via efficient route management. Inone example, a computer-implemented method for improved memoryconsumption in network devices via efficient route management mayinclude (1) receiving, at a network device, a route update for one ormore routes that direct traffic within a network that supports BGP, (2)identifying, within the route update, a BGP prefix and a plurality ofprotocol next-hop addresses that (A) identify a plurality of neighborsof the network device and (B) each correspond to the BGP prefix, (3)maintaining, at the network device, a single copy of the BGP prefix andeach of the protocol next-hop addresses instead of maintaining adifferent copy of the BGP prefix for each of the protocol next-hopaddresses, (4) receiving, at the network device, a packet destined for acomputing device that is reachable via at least one of the neighbors ofthe network device, and then (5) forwarding the packet to the one of theneighbors of the network device in accordance with the BGP prefix andthe protocol next-hop address that identifies the one of the neighbors.

As another example, a system for implementing the above-described methodmay include various modules stored in memory. The system may alsoinclude at least one physical processor that executes these modules. Forexample, the system may include (1) a receiving module that receives aroute update for one or more routes that direct traffic within a networkthat supports BGP, (2) an identification module that identifies, withinthe route update, a BGP prefix and a plurality of protocol next-hopaddresses that (A) identify a plurality of neighbors of the networkdevice and (B) each correspond to the BGP prefix, (3) a maintenancemodule that maintains a single copy of the BGP prefix and each of theprotocol next-hop addresses instead of maintaining a different copy ofthe BGP prefix for each of the protocol next-hop addresses, (4) whereinthe receiving module receives a packet destined for a computing devicethat is reachable via at least one of the neighbors of the networkdevice, and (5) a forwarding module that forwards the packet to the oneof the neighbors of the network device in accordance with the BGP prefixand the protocol next-hop address that identifies the one of theneighbors.

As a further example, an apparatus for implementing the above-describedmethod may include (1) at least one storage device that stores a routingtable for a network device and (2) at least one physical processingdevice that is communicatively coupled to the storage device at thenetwork device, wherein the physical processing device (A) receives aroute update for one or more routes that direct traffic within a networkthat supports BGP, (B) identifies, within the route update, a BGP prefixand a plurality of protocol next-hop addresses that (I) identify aplurality of neighbors of the network device and (II) each correspond tothe BGP prefix, (C) maintains a single copy of the BGP prefix and eachof the protocol next-hop addresses instead of maintaining a differentcopy of the BGP prefix for each of the protocol next-hop addresses, (D)receives a packet destined for a computing device that is reachable viaat least one of the neighbors of the network device and then (E)forwards the packet to the one of the neighbors of the network device inaccordance with the BGP prefix and the protocol next-hop address thatidentifies the one of the neighbors.

Features from any of the above-mentioned embodiments may be used incombination with one another in accordance with the general principlesdescribed herein. These and other embodiments, features, and advantageswill be more fully understood upon reading the following detaileddescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate a number of exemplary embodimentsand are a part of the specification. Together with the followingdescription, these drawings demonstrate and explain various principlesof the instant disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for improved memoryconsumption in network devices via efficient route management.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an additional exemplary system for improvedmemory consumption in network devices via efficient route management.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for improved memoryconsumption in network devices via efficient route management.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an exemplary route update that includes aBGP prefix and multiple protocol next-hop addresses.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary Autonomous System (AS) thatincludes a route reflector and multiple routers.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary implementation of ASes forimproved memory consumption in network devices via efficient routemanagement.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system capable ofimplementing and/or being used in connection with one or more of theembodiments described and/or illustrated herein.

Throughout the drawings, identical reference characters and descriptionsindicate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements. While theexemplary embodiments described herein are susceptible to variousmodifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have beenshown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detailherein. However, the exemplary embodiments described herein are notintended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, theinstant disclosure covers all modifications, equivalents, andalternatives falling within the scope of the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure describes various apparatuses, systems, andmethods for improved memory consumption in network devices via efficientroute management. As will be explained in greater detail below, bycollecting routes that correspond to ECMP paths within MPLS networks ata route reflector and/or BGP controller, the various apparatuses,systems, and methods described herein may be able to build and/oradvertise route updates that include a single BGP prefix with multipleprotocol next-hop addresses that correspond to neighbors of a router.These apparatuses, systems, and methods may then direct the routereflector and/or controller to send the route update to that router toaccount for any topology changes and/or system faults capable ofdisrupting traffic.

The router may then store and/or maintain a single copy of the BGPprefix in connection with the multiple protocol next-hop addressesinstead of maintaining a different copy of the BGP prefix for each ofthe protocol next-hop addresses included in the route update. By doingso, the router may be able to drastically reduce memory and/or resourceconsumption stemming from the route updates and/or management whencompared to traditional route management schemes.

The following will provide, with reference to FIGS. 1, 2, 5, and 6,detailed descriptions of exemplary systems and/or implementations forimproved memory consumption in network devices via efficient routemanagement. Detailed descriptions of corresponding computer-implementedmethods will be provided in connection with FIG. 3. Detaileddescriptions of an exemplary route update will be provided in connectionwith FIG. 4. In addition, detailed descriptions of an exemplarycomputing system for carrying out these methods will be provided inconnection with FIG. 7.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system 100 for improved memoryconsumption in network devices via efficient route management. Asillustrated in this figure, exemplary system 100 may include one or moremodules 102 for performing one or more tasks. As will be explained ingreater detail below, modules 102 may include a receiving module 104, anidentification module 106, a forwarding module 108, a signaling module110, a maintenance module 112, and a load-balancing module 114. Althoughillustrated as separate elements, one or more of modules 102 in FIG. 1may represent portions of a single module or application.

In certain embodiments, one or more of modules 102 in FIG. 1 mayrepresent one or more software applications or programs that, whenexecuted by a computing device, cause the computing device to performone or more tasks. For example, and as will be described in greaterdetail below, one or more of modules 102 may represent modules storedand configured to run on one or more computing devices, such as thedevices illustrated in FIG. 2 (e.g., network devices 202 and 208), thedevices illustrated in FIG. 5 (e.g., route reflector 502 and routers504(1)-(N)), and/or the devices illustrated in FIG. 6 (e.g., routereflector 602, router 604, and router 606). One or more of modules 102in FIG. 1 may also represent all or portions of one or morespecial-purpose computers configured to perform one or more tasks.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, system 100 may also include one or more memorydevices, such as memory 140. Memory 140 generally represents any type orform of volatile or non-volatile storage device or medium capable ofstoring data and/or computer-readable instructions. In one example,memory 140 may store, load, and/or maintain one or more of modules 102.Examples of memory 140 include, without limitation, Random Access Memory(RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), flash memory, Hard Disk Drives, (HDDs),Solid-State Drives (SSDs), optical disk drives, caches, variations orcombinations of one or more of the same, and/or any other suitablestorage memory.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, system 100 may also include one or morephysical processors, such as physical processor 130. Physical processor130 generally represents any type or form of hardware-implementedprocessing unit capable of interpreting and/or executingcomputer-readable instructions. In one example, physical processor 130may access and/or modify one or more of modules 102 stored in memory140. Additionally or alternatively, physical processor 130 may executeone or more of modules 102 to facilitate improved memory consumption innetwork devices via efficient route management. Examples of physicalprocessor 130 include, without limitation, microprocessors,microcontrollers, Central Processing Units (CPUs), Field-ProgrammableGate Arrays (FPGAs) that implement softcore processors,Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), portions of one ormore of the same, variations or combinations of one or more of the same,and/or any other suitable physical processor.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, exemplary system 100 may also include one ormore route updates, such as route update 120. In some examples, routeupdate 120 may include a BGP prefix 122 and next-hop addresses124(1)-(N). In these examples, route update 120 may be sent and/oradvertised to one or more network devices within an MPLS network toenable those network devices to forward traffic along certain routes.

Exemplary system 100 in FIG. 1 may be implemented in a variety of ways.For example, all or a portion of exemplary system 100 may representportions of exemplary system 200 in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, system200 may include a network device 202 in communication with a networkdevice 208 via a network 204. In one example, all or a portion of thefunctionality of modules 102 may be performed by network device 202,network device 208, and/or any other suitable computing device. As willbe described in greater detail below, one or more of modules 102 fromFIG. 1 may, when executed by at least one processor of network device202 and/or network device 208, enable that network device to facilitateimproved memory consumption in network devices via efficient routemanagement.

Network devices 202 and 208 each generally represent any type or form ofphysical computing device that forwards traffic within a network. In oneexample, one or more of network devices 202 and 208 may include and/orrepresent a router, such as a Customer Edge (CE) router, a Provider Edge(PE) router, a hub router, a spoke router, an AS boundary routers,and/or area border routers. In this example, one or more of networkdevices 202 and 208 may include and/or represent a route reflectorand/or a controller (such as a BGP controller). In this example, therouter may be located at and/or included in a data center. Additionalexamples of network devices 202 and 208 include, without limitation,Packet Forwarding Engines (PFEs), Routing Engines (REs), line cards,switches, hubs, modems, bridges, repeaters, gateways, portions of one ormore of the same, combinations or variations of one or more of the same,and/or any other suitable network devices. Although FIG. 2 illustratesonly two network devices, other embodiments may involve and/orincorporate various additional network devices.

Network 204 generally represents any medium or architecture capable offacilitating communication or data transfer. In one example, network 204may facilitate communication between network devices 202. In thisexample, network 204 may facilitate communication or data transfer usingwireless and/or wired connections. Examples of network 204 include,without limitation, an intranet, a Wide Area Network (WAN), a Local AreaNetwork (LAN), a Personal Area Network (PAN), the Internet, Power LineCommunications (PLC), a cellular network (e.g., a Global System forMobile Communications (GSM) network), an MPLS network, portions of oneor more of the same, variations or combinations of one or more of thesame, and/or any other suitable network. Although illustrated as beingexternal to network 204 in FIG. 2, network devices 202 and 208 may eachrepresent a portion of network 204 and/or be included in network 204.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of an example computer-implemented method 300for improved memory consumption in network devices via efficient routemanagement. The steps shown in FIG. 3 may be performed by any suitablecomputer-executable code and/or computing system, including system 100in FIG. 1, system 200 in FIG. 2, AS 500 in FIG. 5, ASs 608(1)-(3) inFIG. 6, and/or variations or combinations of one or more of the same. Inone example, each of the steps shown in FIG. 3 may represent analgorithm whose structure includes and/or is represented by multiplesub-steps, examples of which will be provided in greater detail below.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, at step 310 one or more of the systemsdescribed herein may receive a route update for one or more routes thatdirect traffic within a network that supports BGP. For example,receiving module 104 may, as part of network device 202 in FIG. 2,receive a route update for one or more routes that direct traffic withinnetwork 204 or another network that supports BGP. In this example, theroute update may be configured to update and/or modify one or moreexisting routes within the network. Additionally or alternatively, theroute update may be configured to add one or more new routes within thenetwork.

The systems described herein may perform step 310 in a variety ofdifferent ways and/or contexts. In some examples, receiving module 104may detect and/or identify the route update as the route update arrivesat network device 202. In one example, network device 208 may send theroute update to network device 202 via network 204. For example,signaling module 110 may, as part of network device 208, signal theroute update to network device 202 via network 204. In this example, asthe route update arrives at network device 202, receiving module 104 mayreceive the route update from network device 208.

In some examples, signaling module 110 may build, create, generate,and/or modify the route update prior to sending the same to networkdevice 202. In other examples, signaling module 110 may simply relay theroute update from another device to network device 202.

In some examples, signaling module 110 may remove certain routeinformation from the route update to prevent routing loops in externalBGP (eBGP) configurations and/or situations. For example, signalingmodule 110 may strip, delete, and/or omit all information thatidentifies the AS paths related to the routes from the route updateprior to sending the route update to network device 202. Alternatively,signaling module 110 may strip, delete, and/or omit all such routeinformation with one exception from the route update prior to sendingthe route update to network device 202. In particular, signaling module110 may leave intact and/or insert the route information that identifiesthe best and/or preferred AS path among the routes included in the routeupdate. In other words, signaling module 110 may remove routeinformation that identifies all the AS paths except for the best and/orpreferred AS path.

In some examples, signaling module 110 may send the route update tomultiple network devices. For example, signaling module 110 may directnetwork device 208 to send the route update to a network device in afirst data center. In this example, signaling module 110 may also directnetwork device 208 to send the route update to another network device ina second data center. Accordingly, signaling module 110 may directnetwork device 208 to send the route update to network devices spanningmultiple data centers.

Returning to FIG. 3, at step 320 one or more of the systems describedherein may identify, within the route update, a BGP prefix and aplurality of protocol next-hop addresses that identify a plurality ofneighbors of the network device. For example, identification module 106may, as part of network device 202 in FIG. 2, identify a single BGPprefix 122 and protocol next-hop addresses 124(1)-(N) within the routeupdate. In this example, each of the protocol next-hop addresses mayidentify and/or correspond to a different neighbor of network device 202(e.g., a device that neighbors network device 202 and/or a device thathas a BGP neighborship with network device 202). In other words, eachcombination of BGP prefix and protocol next-hop address may identify adifferent ECMP path to a certain destination by way of that neighbor.

The systems described herein may perform step 320 in a variety ofdifferent ways and/or contexts. In some examples, identification module106 may search the route update for the BGP prefix and/or protocolnext-hop addresses. For example, identification module 106 may searchroute update 120 in FIG. 4. During this search, identification module106 may identify BGP prefix “10.1.1.0/24” and protocol next-hopaddresses “1.1.1.1”, “1.1.1.2”, “1.1.1.3”, and “1.1.1.4”. In thisexample, each of these protocol next-hop addresses may identify and/orcorrespond to a different BGP neighbor of network device 202.

Returning to FIG. 3, at step 330 one or more of the systems describedherein may maintain a single copy of the BGP prefix and each of theprotocol next-hop addresses instead of maintaining a different copy ofthe BGP prefix for each of the protocol next-hop addresses. For example,maintenance module 112 may, as part of network device 202 in FIG. 2,maintain a single copy of the BGP prefix and each of the next-hopaddresses instead of maintaining a different copy of the BGP prefix foreach of the protocol next-hop addresses. By maintaining the single copyof the BGP prefix in this way, maintenance module 112 may be able toimprove memory and/or resource consumption stemming from the routeupdate and/or route management when compared to traditional route updateand/or management schemes.

The systems described herein may perform step 330 in a variety ofdifferent ways and/or contexts. In some examples, maintenance module 112may install a single copy of the BGP prefix and each of the protocolnext-hop addresses in a routing table of network device 202. Forexample, maintenance module 112 may install a single copy of the BGPprefix “10.1.1.0/24” along with protocol next-hop addresses “1.1.1.1”,“1.1.1.2”, “1.1.1.3”, and “1.1.1.4” in the routing table. In thisexample, each of these protocol next-hop addresses may correspond tothat single copy of the BGP prefix. Accordingly, maintenance module 112may avoid installing multiple copies of the BGP prefix in that routingtable and/or ensure that the routing table does not include multiplecopies of that BGP prefix.

In some examples, network device 202 may include and/or incorporatemultiple routing and/or forwarding tables. In such examples, maintenancemodule 112 may populate each of those routing tables with only a singlecopy of the BGP prefix. For example, network device 202 may include arouting engine that has a routing table, and a packet forwarding enginethat has another routing table and/or a forwarding table. In thisexample, maintenance module 112 may install a single copy of the BGPprefix in each of the routing tables and/or the forwarding table.However, maintenance module 112 may avoid installing multiple copies ofthe BGP prefix in any of the routing tables and/or forwarding table.

Returning to FIG. 3, at step 340 one or more of the systems describedherein may receive a packet destined for a computing device that isreachable via at least one of the neighbors of the network device. Forexample, receiving module 104 may, as part of network device 202 in FIG.2, receive a packet destined for a computing device (not necessarilyillustrated in FIG. 2) that is reachable via at least one of theneighbors (not necessarily illustrated in FIG. 2) of network device 202.The term “packet,” as used herein, generally refers to any type or formof communication and/or message that is sent and/or received by acomputing device.

The systems described herein may perform step 340 in a variety ofdifferent ways and/or contexts. In some examples, receiving module 104may monitor the control plane and/or the data plane at network device202. While monitoring the data plane, receiving module 104 may receivethe packet from a computing device. In this example, the packet may bedestined for another computing device that is reachable via one of theECMP paths represented by and/or associated with the routes included inthe route update.

Returning to FIG. 3, at step 350 one or more of the systems describedherein may forward the packet to the one of the neighbors of the networkdevice in accordance with the BGP prefix and the protocol next-hopaddress that identifies the one of the neighbors. For example,forwarding module 108 may, as part of network device 202 in FIG. 2,forward the packet to the one of the neighbors in accordance with theBGP prefix and the protocol next-hop address of that neighbor. In thisexample, the neighbor may represent the next hop of the packet on theway to its final destination. Alternatively, the neighbor may representthe final destination itself.

The systems described herein may perform step 350 in a variety ofdifferent ways and/or contexts. In some examples, forwarding module 108may direct network device 202 to send the packet to the neighbor. Insuch examples, the packet may arrive at the neighbor on the way to itsfinal destination. Alternatively, the packet may reach the neighbor andfinish traversing the MPLS network.

In some examples, one or more of the systems described herein mayperform load-balancing on the traffic. For example, load-balancingmodule 114 may, as part of network device 202 in FIG. 2, perform an ECMProuting operating on traffic exiting network device 202 to facilitateload balancing. In this example, network device 202 may include and/orrepresent a router running at a data center. The router may load-balancethe traffic by way of ECMP routing operations. Accordingly, forwardingmodule 108 may forward the packet to the BGP neighbor of the router inaccordance with the ECMP routing operations.

The systems described herein may be configured and/or arranged invarious network topologies. In one example, these systems may beimplemented as an AS 500 in FIG. 5. As illustrated in FIG. 5, AS 500 mayinclude and/or represent a route reflector 502 in communication withrouters 504(1)-(N). In this example, route reflector 502 may send routeupdate 120 to one or more of routers 504(1)-(N).

In another example, these systems may be deployed as implementation 600in FIG. 6. As illustrated in FIG. 6, implementation 600 may includeand/or represent ASs 608(1), 608(2), and 608(3) in communication withone another. In this example, AS 608(1) may include a route reflector602, AS 608(2) may include a router 604, and AS 608(3) may include arouter 606. Route reflector 602 may send route update 120 to one or moreof routers 604 and 606.

In one example, route reflector 602 may remove certain route informationfrom the route update to prevent routing loops since implementation 600includes and/or represents an eBGP configuration and/or situation. Forexample, in the event that route reflector 602 is sending a route updateto router 604 in AS 608(2), route reflector 602 may remove all routeinformation that identifies the AS path that leads to AS 608(2) from theroute update. In this example, route reflector 602 may determine thatthe route update is destined for router 604 in AS 608(2). In response tothis determination, route reflector 602 may remove all route informationthat identifies the AS path that leads to AS 608(2) from the routeupdate prior to sending the same to router 604. By doing so, routereflector 602 may prevent a routing loop in which router 604 attempts tosend traffic via the AS path that leads to AS 608(2).

The systems described herein may monitor and/or track the traffictraversing an MPLS network in a variety of ways and/or contexts. Forexample, route reflector 602 may establish a BGP neighborship with aflow-monitoring server (not necessarily illustrated in FIG. 6). In thisexample, route reflector 602 may advertise various routes that lead to acommon destination with at least one corresponding AS path to theflow-monitoring server. These routes may include and/or identify the BGPprefix and corresponding protocol next-hop addresses. By doing so, routereflector 602 may enable the flow-monitoring server to create at leastone flow record in connection with the routes.

Continuing with this example, the flow-monitoring server may obtain theInternet Protocol (IP) address of the destination of those routes fromrouter 604. The flow-monitoring server may then identify the AS path towhich those routes correspond. Upon identifying that AS path, theflow-monitoring server may create the flow record based at least in parton the destination IP address of the routes and the AS path to which theroutes correspond. By creating the flow record in this way, theflow-monitoring server may monitor and/or track traffic destined for thedestination IP address based at least in part on the flow record. Forexample, the flow-monitoring server may build and/or maintain statisticsabout the amount of traffic destined for that destination IP address.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an exemplary computing system 700 capableof implementing and/or being used in connection with one or more of theembodiments described and/or illustrated herein. In some embodiments,all or a portion of computing system 700 may perform and/or be a meansfor performing, either alone or in combination with other elements, oneor more of the steps described in connection with FIG. 3. All or aportion of computing system 700 may also perform and/or be a means forperforming and/or implementing any other steps, methods, or processesdescribed and/or illustrated herein. In one example, computing system700 may include and/or store all or a portion of modules 102 from FIG.1.

Computing system 700 broadly represents any type or form of electricalload, including a single or multi-processor computing device or systemcapable of executing computer-readable instructions. Examples ofcomputing system 700 include, without limitation, workstations, laptops,client-side terminals, servers, distributed computing systems, mobiledevices, network switches, network routers (e.g., backbone routers, edgerouters, core routers, mobile service routers, broadband routers, etc.),network appliances (e.g., network security appliances, network controlappliances, network timing appliances, SSL VPN (Secure Sockets LayerVirtual Private Network) appliances, etc.), network controllers,gateways (e.g., service gateways, mobile packet gateways, multi-accessgateways, security gateways, etc.), and/or any other type or form ofcomputing system or device.

Computing system 700 may be programmed, configured, and/or otherwisedesigned to comply with one or more networking protocols. According tocertain embodiments, computing system 700 may be designed to work withprotocols of one or more layers of the Open Systems Interconnection(OSI) reference model, such as a physical layer protocol, a link layerprotocol, a network layer protocol, a transport layer protocol, asession layer protocol, a presentation layer protocol, and/or anapplication layer protocol. For example, computing system 700 mayinclude a network device configured according to a Universal Serial Bus(USB) protocol, an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers(IEEE) 1394 protocol, an Ethernet protocol, a T1 protocol, a SynchronousOptical Networking (SONET) protocol, a Synchronous Digital Hierarchy(SDH) protocol, an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) protocol,an Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) protocol, a Point-to-Point Protocol(PPP), a Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE), a Point-to-PointProtocol over ATM (PPPoA), a Bluetooth protocol, an IEEE 802.XXprotocol, a frame relay protocol, a token ring protocol, a spanning treeprotocol, and/or any other suitable protocol.

Computing system 700 may include various network and/or computingcomponents. For example, computing system 700 may include at least oneprocessor 714 and a system memory 716. Processor 714 generallyrepresents any type or form of processing unit capable of processingdata or interpreting and executing instructions. For example, processor714 may represent an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), asystem on a chip (e.g., a network processor), a hardware accelerator, ageneral purpose processor, and/or any other suitable processing element.

Processor 714 may process data according to one or more of thenetworking protocols discussed above. For example, processor 714 mayexecute or implement a portion of a protocol stack, may process packets,may perform memory operations (e.g., queuing packets for laterprocessing), may execute end-user applications, and/or may perform anyother processing tasks.

System memory 716 generally represents any type or form of volatile ornon-volatile storage device or medium capable of storing data and/orother computer-readable instructions. Examples of system memory 716include, without limitation, Random Access Memory (RAM), Read OnlyMemory (ROM), flash memory, or any other suitable memory device.Although not required, in certain embodiments computing system 700 mayinclude both a volatile memory unit (such as, for example, system memory716) and a non-volatile storage device (such as, for example, primarystorage device 732, as described in detail below). System memory 716 maybe implemented as shared memory and/or distributed memory in a networkdevice. Furthermore, system memory 716 may store packets and/or otherinformation used in networking operations.

In certain embodiments, exemplary computing system 700 may also includeone or more components or elements in addition to processor 714 andsystem memory 716. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, computingsystem 700 may include a memory controller 718, an Input/Output (I/O)controller 720, and a communication interface 722, each of which may beinterconnected via communication infrastructure 712. Communicationinfrastructure 712 generally represents any type or form ofinfrastructure capable of facilitating communication between one or morecomponents of a computing device. Examples of communicationinfrastructure 712 include, without limitation, a communication bus(such as a Serial ATA (SATA), an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), aPeripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), a PCI Express (PCIe), and/orany other suitable bus), and a network.

Memory controller 718 generally represents any type or form of devicecapable of handling memory or data or controlling communication betweenone or more components of computing system 700. For example, in certainembodiments memory controller 718 may control communication betweenprocessor 714, system memory 716, and I/O controller 720 viacommunication infrastructure 712. In some embodiments, memory controller718 may include a Direct Memory Access (DMA) unit that may transfer data(e.g., packets) to or from a link adapter.

I/O controller 720 generally represents any type or form of device ormodule capable of coordinating and/or controlling the input and outputfunctions of a computing device. For example, in certain embodiments I/Ocontroller 720 may control or facilitate transfer of data between one ormore elements of computing system 700, such as processor 714, systemmemory 716, communication interface 722, and storage interface 730.

Communication interface 722 broadly represents any type or form ofcommunication device or adapter capable of facilitating communicationbetween exemplary computing system 700 and one or more additionaldevices. For example, in certain embodiments communication interface 722may facilitate communication between computing system 700 and a privateor public network including additional computing systems. Examples ofcommunication interface 722 include, without limitation, a link adapter,a wired network interface (such as a network interface card), a wirelessnetwork interface (such as a wireless network interface card), and anyother suitable interface. In at least one embodiment, communicationinterface 722 may provide a direct connection to a remote server via adirect link to a network, such as the Internet. Communication interface722 may also indirectly provide such a connection through, for example,a local area network (such as an Ethernet network), a personal areanetwork, a wide area network, a private network (e.g., a virtual privatenetwork), a telephone or cable network, a cellular telephone connection,a satellite data connection, or any other suitable connection.

In certain embodiments, communication interface 722 may also represent ahost adapter configured to facilitate communication between computingsystem 700 and one or more additional network or storage devices via anexternal bus or communications channel. Examples of host adaptersinclude, without limitation, Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) hostadapters, Universal Serial Bus (USB) host adapters, IEEE 1394 hostadapters, Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA), Parallel ATA (PATA),Serial ATA (SATA), and External SATA (eSATA) host adapters, FibreChannel interface adapters, Ethernet adapters, or the like.Communication interface 722 may also enable computing system 700 toengage in distributed or remote computing. For example, communicationinterface 722 may receive instructions from a remote device or sendinstructions to a remote device for execution.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, exemplary computing system 700 may alsoinclude a primary storage device 732 and/or a backup storage device 734coupled to communication infrastructure 712 via a storage interface 730.Storage devices 732 and 734 generally represent any type or form ofstorage device or medium capable of storing data and/or othercomputer-readable instructions. For example, storage devices 732 and 734may represent a magnetic disk drive (e.g., a so-called hard drive), asolid state drive, a floppy disk drive, a magnetic tape drive, anoptical disk drive, a flash drive, or the like. Storage interface 730generally represents any type or form of interface or device fortransferring data between storage devices 732 and 734 and othercomponents of computing system 700.

In certain embodiments, storage devices 732 and 734 may be configured toread from and/or write to a removable storage unit configured to storecomputer software, data, or other computer-readable information.Examples of suitable removable storage units include, withoutlimitation, a floppy disk, a magnetic tape, an optical disk, a flashmemory device, or the like. Storage devices 732 and 734 may also includeother similar structures or devices for allowing computer software,data, or other computer-readable instructions to be loaded intocomputing system 700. For example, storage devices 732 and 734 may beconfigured to read and write software, data, or other computer-readableinformation. Storage devices 732 and 734 may be a part of computingsystem 700 or may be separate devices accessed through other interfacesystems.

Many other devices or subsystems may be connected to computing system700. Conversely, all of the components and devices illustrated in FIG. 7need not be present to practice the embodiments described and/orillustrated herein. The devices and subsystems referenced above may alsobe interconnected in different ways from those shown in FIG. 7.Computing system 700 may also employ any number of software, firmware,and/or hardware configurations. For example, one or more of theexemplary embodiments disclosed herein may be encoded as a computerprogram (also referred to as computer software, software applications,computer-readable instructions, or computer control logic) on acomputer-readable medium. The term “computer-readable medium” generallyrefers to any form of device, carrier, or medium capable of storing orcarrying computer-readable instructions. Examples of computer-readablemedia include, without limitation, transmission-type media, such ascarrier waves, and non-transitory-type media, such as magnetic-storagemedia (e.g., hard disk drives and floppy disks), optical-storage media(e.g., Compact Disks (CDs) and Digital Video Disks (DVDs)),electronic-storage media (e.g., solid-state drives and flash media), andother distribution systems.

While the foregoing disclosure sets forth various embodiments usingspecific block diagrams, flowcharts, and examples, each block diagramcomponent, flowchart step, operation, and/or component described and/orillustrated herein may be implemented, individually and/or collectively,using a wide range of hardware, software, or firmware (or anycombination thereof) configurations. In addition, any disclosure ofcomponents contained within other components should be consideredexemplary in nature since many other architectures can be implemented toachieve the same functionality.

In some examples, all or a portion of system 100 in FIG. 1 may representportions of a cloud-computing or network-based environment.Cloud-computing and network-based environments may provide variousservices and applications via the Internet. These cloud-computing andnetwork-based services (e.g., software as a service, platform as aservice, infrastructure as a service, etc.) may be accessible through aweb browser or other remote interface. Various functions describedherein may also provide network switching capabilities, gateway accesscapabilities, network security functions, content caching and deliveryservices for a network, network control services, and/or and othernetworking functionality.

In addition, one or more of the modules described herein may transformdata, physical devices, and/or representations of physical devices fromone form to another. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of themodules recited herein may transform a processor, volatile memory,non-volatile memory, and/or any other portion of a physical computingdevice from one form to another by executing on the computing device,storing data on the computing device, and/or otherwise interacting withthe computing device.

The process parameters and sequence of the steps described and/orillustrated herein are given by way of example only and can be varied asdesired. For example, while the steps illustrated and/or describedherein may be shown or discussed in a particular order, these steps donot necessarily need to be performed in the order illustrated ordiscussed. The various exemplary methods described and/or illustratedherein may also omit one or more of the steps described or illustratedherein or include additional steps in addition to those disclosed.

The preceding description has been provided to enable others skilled inthe art to best utilize various aspects of the exemplary embodimentsdisclosed herein. This exemplary description is not intended to beexhaustive or to be limited to any precise form disclosed. Manymodifications and variations are possible without departing from thespirit and scope of the instant disclosure. The embodiments disclosedherein should be considered in all respects illustrative and notrestrictive. Reference should be made to the appended claims and theirequivalents in determining the scope of the instant disclosure.

Unless otherwise noted, the terms “connected to” and “coupled to” (andtheir derivatives), as used in the specification and claims, are to beconstrued as permitting both direct and indirect (i.e., via otherelements or components) connection. In addition, the terms “a” or “an,”as used in the specification and claims, are to be construed as meaning“at least one of.” Finally, for ease of use, the terms “including” and“having” (and their derivatives), as used in the specification andclaims, are interchangeable with and have the same meaning as the word“comprising.”

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, at a networkdevice from another network device, a route update for one or moreroutes that direct traffic within a network that supports Border GatewayProtocol (BGP), wherein the other network device: determines that thenetwork device is included in a first Autonomous System (AS) and theother network device in a second AS; and removes, from the route update,route information that identifies at least one AS path that is relatedto the routes and leads to the first AS; sends the route update to thenetwork device upon removing the route information from the routeupdate; identifying, within the route update, a BGP prefix and aplurality of protocol next-hop addresses that: identify a plurality ofneighbors of the network device; and each correspond to the BGP prefix;maintaining, at the network device, a single copy of the BGP prefix andeach of the protocol next-hop addresses instead of maintaining adifferent copy of the BGP prefix for each of the protocol next-hopaddresses, wherein maintaining the single copy of the BGP prefix andeach of the protocol next-hop addresses comprises installing only thesingle copy of the BGP prefix and each of the protocol next-hopaddresses in a routing table of the network device such that the routingtable does not include multiple copies of the BGP prefix; receiving, atthe network device, a packet destined for a computing device that isreachable via at least one of the neighbors of the network device; andforwarding the packet to the one of the neighbors of the network devicein accordance with the BGP prefix and the protocol next-hop address thatidentifies the one of the neighbors.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinthe network device comprises a router running at a data center.
 3. Themethod of claim 2, further comprising performing, by the router runningat the data center, an Equal-Cost Multi-Path (ECMP) routing operation tofacilitate load-balancing traffic at the data center; and whereinforwarding the packet to the one of the neighbors of the network devicecomprises forwarding the packet to the one of the neighbors of thenetwork device to load-balance the traffic at the data center inaccordance with the ECMP routing operation.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein maintaining the single copy of the BGP prefix and each of theprotocol next-hop addresses comprises installing another single copy ofthe BGP prefix in another routing table of the network device such thatthe other routing table does not include multiple copies of the BGPprefix.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein removing the route informationthat identifies the AS path from the route update comprises preventing arouting loop that involves the first AS by removing, from the routeupdate, the route information that identifies the AS path that leads tothe first AS prior to sending the route update to the network device. 6.The method of claim 1, wherein removing the route information thatidentifies the AS path from the route update comprises removing, fromthe route update, route information that identifies all AS paths thatlead to a particular destination except for a single preferred AS paththat leads to the particular destination.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein sending the route update from the other network device to thenetwork device comprises sending the route update to a plurality ofnetwork devices spanning a plurality of data centers.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the other network device comprises a route reflector;and further comprising: establishing a BGP neighborship between theroute reflector and a flow-monitoring server; and advertising, by theroute reflector, the routes with at least one corresponding AS path tothe flow-monitoring server to enable the flow-monitoring server tocreate at least one flow record in connection with the routes.
 9. Themethod of claim 8, wherein creating the flow record in connection withthe routes comprises: obtaining, at the flow-monitoring server, anaddress of a destination of the routes from the network device;identifying, at the flow-monitoring server, the AS path to which theroutes correspond; and creating the flow record based at least in parton the address of the destination and the AS path to which the routescorrespond.
 10. The method of claim 9, further comprising monitoring, atthe flow-monitoring server, traffic destined for the destination basedat least in part on the flow record.
 11. The method of claim 1, whereinthe other network device comprises at least one of: a BGP controller; aroute reflector; and a router.
 12. A system comprising: a receivingmodule, stored in a memory at a network device, that receives, fromanother network device, a route update for one or more routes thatdirect traffic within a network that supports Border Gateway Protocol(BGP), wherein the other network device: determines that the networkdevice is included in a first Autonomous System (AS) and the othernetwork device in a second AS; and removes, from the route update, routeinformation that identifies at least one AS path that is related to theroutes and leads to the first AS; sends the route update to the networkdevice upon removing the route information from the route update; anidentification module, stored in the memory at the network device, thatidentifies, within the route update, a BGP prefix and a plurality ofprotocol next-hop addresses that: identify a plurality of neighbors ofthe network device; and each correspond to the BGP prefix; a maintenancemodule, stored in the memory at the network device, that maintains asingle copy of the BGP prefix and each of the protocol next-hopaddresses instead of maintaining a different copy of the BGP prefix foreach of the protocol next-hop addresses by installing only the singlecopy of the BGP prefix and each of the protocol next-hop addresses in arouting table of the network device such that the routing table does notinclude multiple copies of the BGP prefix; wherein the receiving modulereceives a packet destined for a computing device that is reachable viaat least one of the neighbors of the network device; a forwardingmodule, stored in the memory at the network device, that forwards thepacket to the one of the neighbors of the network device in accordancewith the BGP prefix and the protocol next-hop address that identifiesthe one of the neighbors; and at least one physical processor that iscoupled to the memory and executes the receiving module, theidentification module, the maintenance module, and the forwardingmodule.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the network device comprisesa router running at a data center.
 14. The system of claim 13, furthercomprising a load-balancing module, stored in the memory at the router,that performs an Equal-Cost Multi-Path (ECMP) routing operation tofacilitate load-balancing traffic at the data center; and wherein theforwarding module forwards the packet to the one of the neighbors of thenetwork device to load-balance the traffic at the data center inaccordance with the ECMP routing operation.
 15. An apparatus comprising:at least one storage device that stores a routing table for a networkdevice; and at least one physical processing device that iscommunicatively coupled to the storage device at the network device,wherein the physical processing device: receives, from another networkdevice, a route update for one or more routes that direct traffic withina network that supports Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) wherein the othernetwork device: determines that the network device is included in afirst Autonomous System (AS) and the other network device in a secondAS; and removes, from the route update, route information thatidentifies at least one AS path that is related to the routes and leadsto the first AS; sends the route update to the network device uponremoving the route information from the route update; identifies, withinthe route update, a BGP prefix and a plurality of protocol next-hopaddresses that: identify a plurality of neighbors of the network device;and each correspond to the BGP prefix; maintains a single copy of theBGP prefix and each of the protocol next-hop addresses instead ofmaintaining a different copy of the BGP prefix for each of the protocolnext-hop addresses, wherein maintaining the single copy of the BGPprefix and each of the protocol next-hop addresses comprises installingonly the single copy of the BGP prefix and each of the protocol next-hopaddresses in the routing table of the network device such that therouting table does not include multiple copies of the BGP prefix;receives a packet destined for a computing device that is reachable viaat least one of the neighbors of the network device; and forwards thepacket to the one of the neighbors of the network device in accordancewith the BGP prefix and the protocol next-hop address that identifiesthe one of the neighbors.